The nonprofit sector has become an indispensable part of the American economy and society. While there have been cuts in government investments, if the past hundred-plus years (as well as the interest and vigor of the millennials) are any indication, the sector will continue to grow.

Recent studies by Americans for the Arts, Giving USA, and others have drawn welcome public attention to the role of corporate giving in the creative ecology -- some sounding alarms and others offering rays of hope.

We hear so much these day about banks and companies that have become so large they are unable to manage themselves -- that there are so many layers of bureaucracy that illegal and unethical behavior can go undetected for years.

Barra may be an example of what we will increasingly see -- and expect. In the world of social media, the World Wide Web, and a 24/7 news cycle, private sector leaders can neither isolate their companies nor control the expectations that govern how they need to behave.

Thinking the Earth is flat was a stage in our maturation. The current form of capitalism is only a stage in our economic maturation. It is the opposite of collusion for self-interest. It is cooperation for the common good.

At a time when country boundaries are hardening, creating challenges for multilateral and civil society organizations to fulfill their missions, there is good news. The private sector is growing in consciousness as it goes global in a shrinking world.

The natural tendency of the private sector, when unrestrained, is to strip us of our personal physical and psychic space. When it comes to air travel, private companies' profits depend on maximizing revenue per cubic inch of space inside a plane.

There are plenty of things not to like about the ACA but many in the media have taken this as an opportunity to push as common conservative platitude -- anything the public sector can do, the private sector can do better.

Jobs, innovation, wealth creation: the private sector has great potential to pull people out of poverty. And as developing countries open their doors to greater trade and investment, the reach, influence and impact of private companies grows.